Cerberus Breathing
by Storyboard Sketch
Summary: When you surpass even the master of one thing, what do you do next? Develop one's own path. Deepak has mastered all of his master's teachings and is now pushed to move forward. The dalmatian pup has no idea that his time and one long passed are about to clash violently...and he will need help if he is to survive. Rated T for violence in future chapters...
1. Meet Deepak

_((No I am not continuing Reasons to Live yet. So have some Deepak and the rest of his fam...for now anyway. This story will start here in the light hearted world of 101 Dalmatian Street...but beware. Something far more dangerous than Cruella De Vill now lurks in the shadows of London and I will not be leaving out any details.))_

* * *

"Dante! Stop it!" Opening his left eye slightly to see what was breaking his meditation, the young canine with a half-black, half-white face noticed his eldest brother, Dylan, lecturing one of their younger brothers. "You're gonna blow out the bulbs…."

Deepak was one of the elder pups, it was how he was able to help calm his younger siblings so easily. His body was dappled in large patches more than small individual spots like most of the other 98 pups. He had three spots on each ear, one large in the center and one small spot above with another small one below the large spot. The spots on his ears mirrored each other exactly in their pattern. The young canine's legs and body were similar in treatment. The upper right-hand side of his body was white while the opposite was black, right down to the tips of his paws. Then his lower body was opposite of this, with the left being white and the right being black. The solid coat only being broken up by three white spots on his right hip and three black spots on his left flank. Even his tail was split in the same fashion, with only the upper half being white as snow in coloration. However, since his right ear was black and his left one was white, the spots were black on his left ear and white on the right ear. Most noticeable of all of Deepak's features, was the clear yin-yang symbol that was implied in the pattern covering his whole face and muzzle. One might even say that it marked how he was born for a life of forever seeking inner peace among the chaos of his family.

Their home, 101 Dalmatian Street, both an address and a direct way of warning their neighbors of the insanity that occurred within the three-story flat. Inside, one-hundred and one dalmatians lived within these walls and frequently there was some kind of serious damage done to the house due to so many puppies in one place. For only two of them were fully grown adults, Deepak's father Doug and his stepmother Delilah. The other 99 were Deepak's siblings and stepsiblings but he didn't bother to make the distinction between them when it came to blood ties.

Dylan was the eldest, a canine with a thin, sleek frame and his head, ears, and paws were far too large for him. Deepak wouldn't be surprised if Dylan grew up to be the tallest out of all 99 of the siblings. The most notable thing about Dylan to tell him apart from the rest at a glance was the array of white spots on his black right ear that were a spitting image of the placement of the stars that made up the constellation Canis Major, the dog of the sky. Fitting considering how obsessed Deepak's eldest brother was with astronomy and space in general. Under Dylan was their oldest sister, Dolly, who was also in charge when their parents were away. The easiest way to spot her was by her long ears, large eyes, and multiple collars which jingled like a cat bell. Deepak didn't really hang with her too much due to how wild and active she was.

Then there was the literal black dog of their pack, Dante. One of Deepak's two brothers from the same litter and Dante was slightly older than the zen pup himself. However, Deepak and the youngest of the litter, Dawkins, often treated Dante as younger than them due to how quick to panic he was and underneath his false Goth exterior was just a very caring canine who was afraid that he might care too much. Dante was a black dalmatian with white spots and a purposefully deeper voice. His name came from how, like Deepak and Dawkins, Dante was blessed with visions during his sleep. Deepak often had dreams involving mentors of the past, often it was the famous Guru Maiow (an ancient tabby cat who normally despised dogs) who mentored him during his sleep even though he had others who never truly showed themselves whisper in his ears on occasion. Then there was Dawkins, who got his ideas for his many inventions from his "inner workshop" as he called it. However, Dante's visions were often false and very foreboding, showing the worst outcome of any day. During the rare times they did come true though, it was best to listen to Dante as he helped his siblings figure out how to get out of the rough situation. Dante did have a few odd quirks though as a result of his constant pessimistic dreams.

Dante was messing with the bathroom lights again it seemed, something he did regularly when delivering his latest predictions. Deepak rolled his eyes at his brothers then closed them again to try to fall back into his meditative state. He really should have shut the laundry room door, but the chaos of the house was something he was long used to. Yet...somehow, something left his balance off.

"Meow-wow…." He hummed his normal meditation chant to try to clear his mind once more, losing his zen was never fun for him.

"Woah, hold up." His eldest sister's voice made his eyes snap open; Dolly was looking at him from the doorway with her paw hooked around Dylan to make him stop too. "Only one ''wow"? Okay. What's wrong?"

"Yeah, are you alright, Deepak?" Dylan's concern was practically radiating off of him like the stink that wafted off of that rat in the park. "I don't think anything's shaken your daily meditation like that….well, except us."

"I am sure it's nothing some inner feline searching can't cure," He closed his eyes again and put his paws back together to try and focus once more. "The last month was stressful enough, now...I must regain my inner peace."

After a moment of silence he heard his sister speak first, "Riiiiiiiight….anyway if you're so sure it's nothing, we'll be going to the park."

Deepak froze at the sound of that word, one of the many words that triggered the younger pups. He could hear the chorus of "park" as it echoed around the house from pup-to-pup and then the thunder as they all raced outside and Dolly ran to go keep an eye on them. Deepak himself just sighed, not even the park made him want to do anything.

"Oh man, not even the park makes you smile?" Dylan had been about to leave when he noticed Deepak hadn't run out with the others. "This is serious…"

"I know!" Deepak's calm shroud broke and he grabbed his head with his paws. "I don't get it! Cruella and Hunter are locked up! I mastered Guru Miaow's teachings! AND I even took a bath!"

"Uh…" Dylan raised a paw to speak only for his face to get grabbed and pulled down to Deepak's level as the normally calm pup stared into his eyes.

"Dylan, you have to help me!" The smaller dalmatian released his brother and sat down in front of him. "If I can't figure out what's wrong I will NEVER get my zen working right! And we all know what happens when that's not here…"

He saw Dylan shudder and then shake himself to get rid of the horrible memories before his older brother smiled softly at him. "Uhh….Tell you what? While we're all at the park, you stay here and try to isolate what the problem is. Then when Mom and Dad get home we will all talk this out. Sound good?"

Deepak blinked in surprise. "M-Me? In the house? By myself? A-Are you sure?"

"I think you're ready," Dylan set a paw on his younger brother's shoulder with a soft smile. "Besides, as long as you stay in the house it's perfectly safe. You are the least likely pup to burn the house down or something."

After a moment of thinking it over, Deepak smiled up at his brother softly. "Thanks Dylan, it...means a lot that you can trust me like that."

He was soon pulled into a hug by his brother and after a moment he returned it. They only held it for a minute before Dolly calling for Dylan made them break apart and Deepak followed his brother enough to watch him open the door to go.

"We'll be back later," Dylan reassured his brother once more, heading out and closing the door behind him.

Deepak ran to the window to watch his family take off in a white cloud with spots. "Ooooh….so THAT'S how all the neighbors always know when we're coming."

He sat down on the window seat after that and just stared off into nothing for a moment before shouting to the world. "What is wrong with me?! Since WHEN do I ever not like going to the park?!"

He groaned and fell face first onto a pillow nearby as he tried to think it over. Cruella was GONE so what was bothering him so? He sighed, his zen was so off today. He needed to think it over, what was bothering him so much. Deepak straightened up and closed his eyes focusing on his breathing pattern and on all five of his senses.

In. 1..2...3...4.

The smells of the house. Dirt, paint, oil, kibble...

Hold. 1...2...3..4.

The sounds of London. Cars, birds, the creaking of the ancient house...

And Out. 1...2...3..4.

He let it all just...fade away. To sink deeper into another state of awareness.

"You are troubled, youngling." He knew that purring voice well, opening his "inner eyes" to look up at the spirit of a graying yellow tabby cat with a long flowing tail. "I sense...unrest within you."

"Guru Miaow." He bowed his head to the spirit of the ancient cat spirit that had followed him for most of his life. "I am...unsure. I know I have a role to play here in this life, yet...as my siblings age it seems like it is fading away. What am I to do when we are all grown? They are calming as time goes! Cruella...she..."

He looked down as he remembered that devil-woman...even now, weeks after they had all escaped and she was taken away...he trembled at her memory. Tears coming to his eyes at the cruelty of that woman and the suffering of who knows how many humans and animals alike she caused.

"...she changed us all." He murmured as another shiver rippled through him, in the end...they never did catch that cat that exposed them all to her. "Even Desiel is curbing his digging...by a huge scale. And Dorothy...once she's done teething, even she will calm down."

"...Sounds to me like it is time for you to move forward." Miaow closed his own eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Youngling..no...Deepak. I have taught you the way of the cat, but...there is another side of cats that you do not yet know."

"Huh?" The pup looked up with mixed confusion and surprise, his master seemed so serious. "Another side?"

"You have seen it yes?" The feline spirit's eyes narrowed slightly, then for a split moment the cat's pupils narrowed into slits and his claws came out so fast that Deepak thought there were sparks at the cat's paws. "The moment when a cat turns from peaceful observer, into a powerful hunter. This is the Wildcat way."

Deepak's eyes widened, of course...Guru Miaow only mentored one side of the feline style. However, there was a far more ancient style that all felines instinctually knew. "...Wildcat? B-But Master-!"

"You have already mastered all my teachings youngling." Guru Miaow told him his whiskers curving into a shape that made the ancient tom cat look almost like a six month old kitten. "Deepak...While I was alive, I never had kittens of my own. And...although you are a dog, the sworn enemy of cats..."

"M-Master..." Deepak felt his eyes starting to gather tears...his master was smiling in pride.

"...You are like the son I never had and I am proud of you." The spirit's purr was like thunder in Deepak's ears, he could feel the vibrations even from the distance between them. "Move forward, develop a style that surpasses mine. Balance both the mighty lion and the wolf, and then...nothing, not even that devil woman Cruella, will ever harm your family again."

"Master..." Deepak felt tears falling from his muzzle and he bowed his head deeply to the cat spirit. "Yes, master! I promise! I will make you proud! No matter how many years it takes!"

The feline spirit stood and walked over to the pup with gentle, silent pawsteps until Miaow could touch his muzzle to the top of the dalmatian's head. "Then, take this...I give you a life for wisdom, may it lead your paws towards the correct choices to make even if you only have a fraction of a moment to decide."

Deepak felt a cool wave like water flow over him from where the cat spirit had touched him, it eased him from nose to tail tip. Like no matter what happened, he could be sure that he would make the correct choices. He looked up once Miaow stepped back, still smiling down at him.

"Cats have nine lives...Now, you are the first dog to ever have two." The old cat spirit started to fade from Deepak's inner sight. "Use it well."

"Master, wait!" Deepak's real eyes opened and he caught himself yelling, after a moment of realizing he had lost contact with the other world...he let out a small breath. "...I understand. I will do my best."

He looked up and out the window at the sky, watching the clouds as they sailed through that other sea.

"To become both, lion and wolf..."

* * *

_((Little does this pup know there are worse things to fear than a human with a love of fur coats...far, far worse... Next time...tell me which kind of oni should I unleash upon Camden town? Spider demon? Six armed? Or perhaps a thunder demon? Tell me...what should be unleashed upon London?))_


	2. The House Ran Red

**((A lot happens in this chapter and I did my best to spare yall the most graphic of it all but Blood trigger warning just in case.))**

* * *

"Ouch!" Deepak yelped as a sharp pain in his tail awoke him from his meditation, looking down he saw a familiar pair of large eyes looking back at him. "Hi Dorothy, out of chew toys again?"

Dorothy was Deepak's youngest sibling, the tiny dalmatian pup was only about a month or two old and she was just starting to get the barest hints of her spots among her pure white fur. The smallest and youngest of their family giggled as she moved to seat herself between his forelegs. When Dylan and Dolly were too busy to put the young pup down for a nap or to play with her, she came to Deepak's little washing machine hideaway. The machine itself didn't work but it provided a space that was quiet and left alone for the majority of the day. Dorothy also came here if something spooked her but right now, as she let out a big yawn, it seemed the younger pup just wanted to sleep in his room.

Deepak smiled at the small form of his sister, he could never be angry with her. Dorothy was practically a baby, she couldn't even talk yet but she made her needs well known. Pawsteps made his ears perk up and look out the door at two faces looking back at him and his tail wagged in greeting to them.

"Hi Mum, hi Dad." He greeted his parents as they smiled at the sight before them, it was the weekend so the two were home for a change.

"Hello, son." Doug beamed at him, the overweight firehouse dalmatian was always trying his best to come off as caring and compassionate to all of his children and his step children. "Storm's coming, just came by to check on you."

"I see that someone is deciding to sleep beside her big brother tonight." The sleek narrow form of his mother, Delilah, came forward to nuzzle the two pups gently. "You get some rest too, Deepak. You're not a grown dog yet."

"I will, Mother." Deepak smiled when shown affection by his mother then looked down at the sleeping Dorothy. "Can we...sleep in the laundry room tonight?"

"Of course!" Doug barked, fully supporting his son even as Delilah rolled her eyes at how agreeable the other dog was. "Should be quieter in here anyway once the storm hits! Don't want anyone getting spooked awake by the thunder now do we?"

"Thanks, Dad." Deepak nodded to his father before moving to curl up around his little sister like a furry protective shield. "I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course," His mother reassured him as she gently licked his head fur and stepped back to rejoin Doug. "We'll always be here when you need us, Deepak."

"Get some rest you two." Doug smiled before reaching up and putting his paw through the pull switch to turn off the lights.

Deepak closed his eyes as he listened to the sounds of his parents, Dolly, and Dylan herded the other pups upstairs and into bed. All was right with his world, sure his siblings could be a bit much...but he wouldn't trade them for anything at the end of the day.

"Good night Dorothy." He told his younger sister before giving himself away to sleep.

* * *

Outside….

"Mrroowww…" A growl came from a hairless form split with black and pink patches, its claws dug into the pavement with such force two of the claws on its left paw snapped off but the beast didn't even notice.

"Well…" A deep voice droned beside it, and the hairless monster glared up at the tall form beside it with narrow eyes that held no love only rage and hatred. "Are you just going to sit there? Give the signal."

The beast's voice became a gurgled purr as it turned and lept up onto a splinter filled fence board and let out a loud, spine chilling yowl that echoed through the empty streets of London. There was a moment of erie silence before the quiet screeching sound of a blade being dragged across the brick street accompanied by the slow, wet sound, of a body being dragged.

"Asuga…"The towering form looked down at the form before him, a shuddering of harsh breathing from the hair covered form below. "You must be hungry after coming so far. London has many prime meals for you but...perhaps an appetizer first?"

"Ke ke ke…" The scratchy, almost strained feminine laugh collapsed into a cough which splattered blood onto the pavement. "I would...rip anything that smiles...in half...for free...anyday."

"Good." The red eyes of the ring leader looked up at the messy house across from him. "These vermin wiped out my chance for a perfectly good oni in the west. If only she could have finished the one simple task I asked of her….Kill them. All of them. Make sure it won't happen ever again."

There was a cackle like that of bones rattling and then the lesser oni bared her teeth and took off towards the house spoken off.

* * *

It was the sound of the front door shattering into pieces that awoke Deepak, who froze immediately upon hearing what sounded like a blade scraping across the wooden floor. Someone had broken into their house! And it sounded like they were armed! One sniff of the air almost made him gag as an overwhelming scent of blood flooded his nose. Deepak didn't need Dante to tell him what was happening was beyond evil, dangerous, and threatening for he could sense that for himself. Deepak wasn't big enough, or strong enough to try to protect his family from something that terrified him down to his fur follicles. A fierce protectiveness surged through him as he became aware of Dorothy's soft frightened whimpers as she snuggled against him for comfort. He curled up tighter around Dorothy and grabbed one of the many blankets behind him, pulling it over both of them in an attempt to hide from whatever was outside.

"Dorothy…" He whispered to the now shivering pup pressing into his eyes. "You must remain absolutely silent. Close your eyes, and no matter what happens...do not open them until day break."

The tiny pup nodded and put her paws over her ears and shut her eyes tightly. Deepak reached out and closed the door of the washing machine, silently thanking Dawkins for the interior lock. He pulled his sister close and shut his own eyes tight, covering Dorothy's paws to prevent her from hearing what he knew was coming. It only took a split second before the screams started, the voices of his family: his siblings, his parents...all screaming to run, hide, or begging for help. He was grateful that the machine they were hiding in muffled the sounds but not enough for him to miss out on what was happening as one by one...each and every voice was silenced. Someone howled for help, only to be stopped half way. It didn't stop the World Wide Woof from echoing even this late into the night, as dogs everywhere started alerting others that something was very wrong at the dalmatian house.

A loud slam on the door of the washing machine made Deepak freeze as the familiar voices of his litter brothers, Dante and Dawkins, came to him.

"Deepak! Open up!" That desperate British whine, Deepak knew it well as belonging to Dawkins.

"Are you in there?" The second voice was Dante, terrified beyond what any of his old predictions had done to him before.

Deepak didn't respond under the blanket that hid him and Dorothy from view not sure if it was a trick or not, then a second slam alerted him to the dryer door now being closed and locked. Deepak had to restrain himself from letting out a sigh of relief as his brothers were now hiding with him. It was his one comfort as the terrifying sounds around them continued for what felt like days to Deepak, he could swear at one point he heard the sounds of desperate scratching at the washing machine and a certian trio of young female voices begging him to open up.

"_I'm sorry…"_ He thought to his step-sisters outside, shutting his eyes tighter as tears started to escape them. "_Dallas...Destiny...DejaVu….Forgive me…"_

The trio were world wide internet stars...but, he couldn't risk opening the door. If he did...he would be exposing tiny Dorothy to the exterior threat that was sweeping through the house like an unstoppable tsunami. Even if he opened the door or move at all, it might alert whatever dark and menacing aura to their location. It wasn't long before he heard the trio scream and run out again, even then...Deepak knew he could never forgive himself for denying his sisters entry into this tiny hiding place. A hiding place that...even he was sure wasn't fully safe. The sound of something wet being dragged across the ground and claws running across the door of the laundry room made Deepak instinctively hold his breath as if even that might let whatever monster was out there, that he was here.

"Hellooooo in there…." A presence entered the room, icy cold to Deepak's spiritual senses and filled with murderous intent and glee from the suffering of the large canine family. "Where'd those sweet...puppies go? I don't bite….much. Ke ke ke ke!"

His paws gripped the blankets under him as he forced himself to remain as still as possible beneath the sheet that hid him and his baby sister from view, it was his only hope to not be noticed through the glass window in front of them.

"_Great spirits of past and present alike," _Deepak's mind silently called to the spirit realm for protection from this great evil that had cut through his family like they were nothing but flies. "_Please...protect my family from this monster. Even I must perish...let Dorothy at least escape this. Please...I beg of you…. Don't let it take all of them…"_

"Ah...how nice of them," The raspy feminine voice hissed out as the monster seemed to notice something else before dragging its form away once more. "I promise...I'll make it...fast…"

He waited until he was sure it was gone and then quietly let out the breath he had been holding, if it wasn't for his training Deepak's lungs would have been screaming for air. The house was growing quiet now, there were no more screams...no more cries for help...only the distant sounds of the monster's wet, sick sounds as it moved from room to room. He made sure to be silent and still once more whenever it came near. Until even that faded away...gone, and its heavy oppressive presence went with it.

* * *

Deepak refused to move until he guessed that he must have fallen asleep. Still protecting his baby sister inside their hide away, at least until a gentle knocking sound awoke him and he started to growl in warning. Dorothy jolting awake as well and pressing against him with soft whimpers as they both had no idea what was trying to get in. The light filtering through the sheet covering them let him know it was daylight out, but Deepak would still bite anything that tried to harm him or his sister.

"Hey, hey…" A comforting voice came to his ears, muffled by the glass between them but...a presence reached him first...a kindness...unlike any he had ever known before. "It's okay...We're here to help."

After a moment, Deepak moved to lift the sheet only to see a human smiling back at him on the other side of the window. The human looked young, teenager or young adult at most, a head of reddish colored fur at the top and a patch of jagged off colored skin on the left side of his head. Deepak noticed the odd long garments of checkered black and green that the human wore, and as he tilted his head to look he noticed a box sitting on the boy's back. He had never seen one like this before, and there was an odd aura around the male two-legger as if he was of another world entirely. Still, the feeling that radiated off of this human was one of kindness beyond that which Deepak had ever sensed before.

He could trust this one.

The young pup lifted his head and the sheet fell off of him and Dorothy, after a moment of debating...Deepak moved an unlocked the door of the washing machine. It was difficult to do since his little sister insisted on walking underneath of her brother for protection, but he bumped the glass door open and instantly regretted it as the stench of blood rushed his nose. He let out a gag and shook his head to try and disperse it, it didn't come from this human however….only...the house itself. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach, the glass window of the washing machine...was covered in bloody paw prints from when his siblings begged him to let them in. He mentally degraded himself for that, but he had no choice...if he had opened up…

"Hey, it's not your fault." The human placed a hand on his shoulder, seeming to read Deepak's mind and making the pup look up as his eyes were filled with tears. "Those things tear apart anything alive if they can. You were pretty smart to hide in there, even I couldn't smell you thanks to the rubber sealing."

How...how did he know? Deepak blinked in amazement, what kind of human was this? He had read Deepak's mood and feelings exactly. The human offered a hand to the pups and instinctively Deepak moved forward to sniff it, Dorothy mimicking his action. He couldn't smell any blood on this human, only the soft smokey scent of a charcoal like hue. This was the human's own identifying scent, that of a plant that had been scorched.

"Is this...your little sister?" The human's eyes softened, as if in understanding as he gently pet Dorothy's head getting a small smile out of both dalmatians.

"Yes, she...wanted to sleep in here with me and…" He stopped himself, what were the chances of a human understanding him.

"What are your names?" The human pressed before placing a hand to his chest in introduction. "My name is Tanjiro, I lost my family to oni too…"

"I'm...Deepak," Deepak shifted to offer his collar tag as proof of his name just incase the human needed something else to tell. "Dorothy is this little one and… my brothers!"

Dawkins and Dante! Deepak immediately darted out of the washing machine, wincing from how stiff his body was but he ignored it as Dorothy barked softly at him in concern. He knocked on the exterior of the washing machine in a rhythm that only their family knew, from inside he heard the responding few knocks before the lid opened after a moment and a pair of blood spattered faces looked back down at him. Both Dante and Dawkins looked relieved to see their brother before both tacked Deepak to hug him tightly, a gesture that the zen pup swiftly returned as he held his siblings tightly. Dorothy barked in joy once she saw the two and hopped down to run over and join them, Tanjiro moved aside to let her go to her brothers.

"Dorothy!" Dawkins cried out her name before bringing the youngest pup into the group hug as well. "Thank goodness...You two are both alright!"

"I will never make another doomsday joke ever again…" Dante promised as his whimper was choked with sobs, tears running down his black muzzle.

"Dawkins, Dante, you two aren't hurt are you?" Deepak wanted to make sure his brothers were okay, as he looked them both over for injuries of any kind.

"N-No...We're...We're alright." Dawkins released his brothers to wipe tears off his muzzle. "B-But...e-everyone else...that..that thing it…"

Deepak put a paw over his brother's mouth, closing his eyes in sorrow. "I...I don't wish to know...Please...Not with Dorothy here."

Dorothy tilted her head, too young to understand what he meant, but the sound of Tanjiro shifting to face the siblings made Deepak look up into the sympathetic eyes of the human.

"My friends and I will gather your family's name tags for you…" In his eyes, Deepak could sense the boy's sadness for them but also a sense of reminiscing on the past. "You can't stay in this period anymore, if that thing learns that you survived...it WILL come after you to finish the job."

Deepak pulled Dorothy closer to him as he exchanged spooked looks with his brothers then after a moment of silence between them he looked up at Tanjiro. "Can you...can you understand us?"

Tanjiro blinked in alarm, for a moment Deepak was afraid he might have been perceived as aggressive somehow but then. "Can't everyone?"

Immediately, four pairs of ears went up and hope flickered in their eyes. Deepak felt a small wag of his tail as he responded to the human. "You are the first that I have met…I am Deepak, and there was 101 of us. Now...there are four. You can do the math for how many were taken from this world by that monster that you call an oni, but...I heard the sounds it made. I thought it was a legend...but I know her as the Teke Teke of Kings Cross Station."

* * *

_((That's right. A Teke Teke of London. The dalmatian clan has almost been wiped off the map...what now for Deepak, Dante, Dawkins, and tiny Dorothy. Should Tanjiro take the pups in? Or let the dalmatians remain at what is left of their house once it has been cleaned up? ))_


End file.
